SES empowers South African schools

Published on: Jun 8, 2016

SES’s Astra Connect service is providing primary schools in remote areas of the Mpumalanga province of South Africa with internet connectivity and access to eLearning, media content, and other online monitoring tools and information.

This connectivity and eLearning service has been made possible by a partnership between SES Techcom Services and Italy’s Openet Technologies.

Satellite is vital in providing connectivity to these schools, as some are up to 100km from the nearest city, and no terrestrial networks are available.

With the help of SES’s partnership with Openet Technologies, 6 500 pupils from 12 schools now enjoy internet connectivity. The pilot project, which has been successful, will be expanded and seven more schools will soon take delivery of satellite terminals, laptops, tablets, a projector with a screen, and loudspeakers.

The Department of Education is pleased with results of the project so far, and has committed to paying for the connectivity service for three years after the pilot ends in 2017. Potentially, the service could be rolled out nationally and reach 3 000 primary schools in remote areas of South Africa.

SES Techcom Managing Director Gerhard Bethscheider said, “We are very proud to be part of this project. It is extremely rewarding to see satellite technology improving both the speed and quality of education in Africa.”